IT is advantage Sunderland now the Black Cats’ FA Cup quarter-final has gone to a replay.

Everton boss David Moyes gambled on making changes for their Merseyside derby against Liverpool in midweek in the hope their strongest line-up could see off Sunderland at Goodison Park.

However, his weakened team lost at Anfield and then his full-strength side could only draw against Sunderland.

Now it is the Black Cats who will be on home turf for the replay – and Martin O’Neill’s hand will be strengthened by the return from suspension of top scorer Stephane Sessegnon and skipper Lee Cattermole.

O’Neill said: “The advantage in terms of being at home passes to us from Everton. We will have two players back – and that will be very important because they [Cattermole and Sessegnon] are major players for us.

“The two of them have done very well over the last two months and Cattermole has been an inspirational leader for us.”

Despite the absence of that key duo Sunderland have coped admirably, beating Liverpool 1-0 at the Stadium of Light last week and then holding out for a draw against an Everton side which had lost just one of its last 10 games.

Right-back Phil Bardsley played through the pain of a rib injury and was rewarded with his first goal in 11 months to put Sunderland ahead as they bossed the first 20 minutes at Goodison.

However, a header from the Wearsiders’ nemesis Tim Cahill – his eighth goal against the Black Cats – brought the Toffees level midway through the half.

From then on Everton seized the initiative and Sunderland had to produce a rearguard action to stay in the tie, with John O’Shea and Michael Turner again outstanding in defence.

A Wembley semi-final against Liverpool awaits the winners of next week’s replay.

If it is O’ Neill’s men who make their first trip to the new Wembley Stadium, goalkeeper Simon Mignolet will deserve a large slice of the credit.

The Belgian made what O’Neill labelled a ‘world-class’ double-save in the final minutes of the game to foil first John Heitinga and then Nikica Jelavic and keep his side in the tie.

O’Neill said: “Everton started to win the first ball in the penalty area which caused us a few problems, so we had to defend very strongly and Mignolet came to the fore. It was a world-class double-save.”

Everton were convinced they should have had a penalty early on when livewire Royston Drenthe appeared to be tripped clumsily by Craig Gardner, but equally Sunderland’s Fraizer Campbell was fouled in the build-up to Everton’s equaliser.

In both cases, referee Andre Marriner was well placed, waved play on – and got it wrong!

Under normal circumstances, these kind of decisions are the source of endless debate among supporters for days afterwards.

However, the news of Fabrice Muamba’s collapse in Bolton’s quarter-final at Spurs meant there were more important things than penalty shouts and free-kick claims on the minds of football fans.